Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
Achieving quality education for all requires far more than getting children through the school gate. It means closing the gaps that keep girls, children with disabilities, and children in poverty from equal access (SDG 5, SDG 10), while also connecting what is taught to the skills economies actually need, so schooling translates into decent work and livelihoods rather than a credential with no destination (SDG 8).
The sharpest challenge is no longer just access but learning itself: millions of children are in classrooms yet not acquiring basic literacy and numeracy, a crisis compounded wherever conflict, displacement or fragile institutions disrupt schooling entirely (SDG 16). Getting children into school is necessary but no longer sufficient — the goal now hinges on whether they actually learn.
Progress on SDG 4 remains far off track, with modest gains overshadowed by a deepening learning crisis. In 2024, 273 million children and young people were still out of school worldwide, and the global out-of-school rate has edged down only marginally, from 17.4 per cent in 2015 to 16.8 per cent in 2024. Completion rates improved incrementally over the same period — primary completion rose from 85 to 88 per cent, lower secondary from 75 to 78 per cent, and upper secondary from 53 to 61 per cent — but sub-Saharan Africa lags far behind, where only 68 per cent complete primary school, 47 per cent lower secondary, and just 28 per cent upper secondary.
More troubling is the learning crisis beneath these enrolment figures: among children in comparable middle- and high-income countries, the share achieving minimum reading proficiency fell from 59 per cent in 2012 to 47 per cent in 2022, while minimum maths proficiency fell from 41 to 36 per cent over the same decade. Teacher quality compounds the problem, with one in five teachers worldwide lacking the minimum required qualifications — a measure of formal qualification, not a direct measure of teaching effectiveness.
Meanwhile, as internet access expands rapidly across most regions, the digital skills needed to use it safely and productively — from online safety to digital content creation — are not keeping pace. The full picture of official indicators is tracked by the UN Statistics Division in its annual SDG progress report.
The flagship annual tracker for SDG 4 is UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report. The 2026 edition, Access and equity: countdown to 2030, was launched on 25 March 2026 and found that universal completion of secondary education remains off track for the 2030 deadline, with persistent gaps for the poorest and most marginalised learners.
The primary intergovernmental forum is the SDG4-Education2030 High-Level Steering Committee, convened by UNESCO, which periodically brings education ministers together at Global Education Meetings to take stock of progress. The most recent stocktake, Transforming Education Summit+4: System Transformation and Resilience for SDG 4, was held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on 10 July 2026, reviewing follow-through on commitments made at the 2022 Transforming Education Summit. SDG 4 progress is also reviewed annually at the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) each July in New York.
These organisations hold the lead mandates on education policy, delivery and financing under SDG 4.
By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes
Proportion of children and young people (a) in grades 2/3; (b) at the end of primary; and (c) at the end of lower secondary achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in (i) reading and (ii) mathematics, by sex
Completion rate (primary education, lower secondary education, upper secondary education)
By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education
Proportion of children aged 24–59 months who are developmentally on track in health, learning and psychosocial well-being, by sex
Participation rate in organized learning (one year before the official primary entry age), by sex
By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university
Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, by sex
By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship
Proportion of youth and adults with information and communications technology (ICT) skills, by type of skill
By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations
Parity indices (female/male, rural/urban, bottom/top wealth quintile and others such as disability status, indigenous peoples and conflict-affected, as data become available) for all education indicators on this list that can be disaggregated
By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy
Proportion of population in a given age group achieving at least a fixed level of proficiency in functional (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills, by sex
By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development
Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment
Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all
Proportion of schools offering basic services, by type of service
By 2020, substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States and African countries, for enrolment in higher education, including vocational training and information and communications technology, technical, engineering and scientific programmes, in developed countries and other developing countries
Volume of official development assistance flows for scholarships by sector and type of study
By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing States
Proportion of teachers with the minimum required qualifications, by education level
Education — Global
Just one-third of adults worldwide are classified as financially literate. Improving our knowledge and understanding of finance and money is a core mission of the Liechtenstein Bankers Association, and critical to creating a more sustainable, equitable world that leaves no one behind
Gender — Global
The “shadow pandemic” of violence against women and girls shows little sign of abating. Tackling this global scourge calls for far more effective joining up of individual measures, embedding gender equality throughout all 17 SDGs
Gender — Global
Gender equality is critical to realizing all the SDGs, yet progress remains unacceptably slow. Humanity’s future demands that we urgently fix the multitudinous factors blocking women and girls from achieving their potential
Gender — Middle East and Northern Africa
While tentative steps are being made across the region, reforms must go further and faster – from improving maternity provision to training more women in jobs traditionally reserved for men
Education, a cornerstone of society, cannot achieve gender equality alone. It must be part of a broader, multifaceted effort to tackle all forms of inequality and injustice around the world
Education — Global
Education is key to achieving the entire Agenda 2030. With just eight years to go, 2022 will be critical for revitalizing national and global efforts to transform education, so that all people have the skills and knowledge to coexist in harmony with our planet
Climate — Global
Humanity’s failure to learn and adapt from repeated crises does not bode well for the bold, transformational changes that must happen urgently if we’re to achieve the world promised by the SDGs. There will be no second chance
Climate — Global
The world economy is unjust and selfish. Its flaws are stifling effective climate action. We must empower the next generation to shape the future, unencumbered by the distorted priorities that currently prevail
Climate — Global
Never has education been more vital as a force for positive change. Learning must inspire and empower the next generation to tackle climate change head on
Education — Global
Making the SDGs a reality will require people with new mindsets as well as new skills. Education is critical, and must rise to the challenge of enabling learners to drive sustainable development forward at the scale and pace required
